Participation of Harry W. Rowland in Company F (Indiana County), 110th Pennsylvania Infantry in World War 1

Harry W. Rowland enlisted in the 10th Pennsylvania National Guard unit (Company F) located in Indiana, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1917.  The 10th Pennsylvania National Guard Regiment was mobilized on Sunday, July 15 and mustered into federal service on July 16.  It became part of the of the United States Army on August 5.  On Friday, September 7, the Regiment departed for Camp Hancock, Georgia for training purposes.  The 10th Pennsylvania National Guard Regiment became part of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry on October 11, 1917, a part of the 28th Division (known as the Keystone Division) of the American Expeditionary Force.  A Short History and Illustrated Roster of the 110th Infantry is available on Google Books.  It has pictures of all the officers and enlisted men.  The following picture is that of Harry W. Rowland in this book.

The Regiment left Camp Hancock on April 24, 1918 for Camp Merritt in New Jersey where they received their equipment and  their final physical examinations.  On May 2 the Regiment went to Hoboken, New Jersey where they boarded four ships:  the Corsican, Demosthenes, The City of Calcutta, and Ansonia.  Harry W. Rowland boarded the Corsican along with other members of Company F.  The Corsican sailed on May 3, 1918 for Europe.  The Army Transport lists are available on Ancestry.com.  The easiest way to access them is to enter Army Transport as a keyword search in the card catalog.  The following page shows Harry W. Rowland's name on the Corsican Army Transport list.

The troops on the Corsican debarked at Liverpool on May 17 and left Dover for Calais, France on May 19.  They received training from both the British and the French before being placed in the front lines on July 4.  The History of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry gives a detailed record of the unit's participation in World War 1.  It is available on https://archive.org to search and download.  It also lists all the officers and enlisted men in the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Individual service records for many World War 1 veterans were destroyed in the fire in St. Louis, Missouri in 1973.  It is possible to know where a soldier was during the war if one knows what unit he was in.  The above book lists all the officers and enlisted men in the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry with additional information on them.  The following entry is for Harry W. Rowland on page 268.

ROWLAND, HARRY W. (1240653) Cpl. Co. F; Disch. May 23, '19; (75-17) Indiana, Pa. 

The war ended when the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918 at 11 am.  Company F with the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry remained in France and Germany and became part of the Army of Occupation until they returned home in May, 1919.  Harry W. Rowland left St. Nazaire, France on April 29, 1919 on the Santa Olivia and arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 12, 1919 with other members of Company F (see Army Transport lists on Ancestry.com).    He was discharged from Camp Dix New Jersey, on May 23, 1919.  The 28th Division (Keystone Division) had a Welcome Home Parade in Philadelphia on May 15, 1919 that over two million people watched.

Harry W. Rowland's discharge papers, application for a victory medal in 1922, and application for veteran's compensation from Pennsylvania in 1934 listed the following engagements he participated in: Champagne-Marne Defensive from July 15 to July 18, 1918; Aisne-Marne Offensive from July 18 to August 6, 1918; Fismens Sector, August 7 to August 17, 1918; Oise-Aisne Offensive from August 18 to September 8, 1918; Meuse-Argonne Offensive from September 26 to October 9, 1918; and Thiacourt Sector from October 15 to November 11, 1918. 

The applications of Pennsylvania men that participated in World War I for a victory medal and for veteran's compensation are available on Ancestry.com.